* 7.2.1. ...other Windows 95 computers?
Get a Win95 compatible net card for each machine, tie the cards
together however they're supposed to tie together, and install these
components on it:
* Client for MS networks
* Win95 net card driver (may also be Dial-up Adapter: See
section 8.5.1 for connecting via modems)
* NetBEUI Protocol (Or any single common protocol; NetBEUI's the
easiest to set up, but IPX will get you a bit more speed. If using
dial-up, ALWAYS use NetBEUI)
* File & Print Sharing for MS Networks
Usually, when you insert a net card for the first time, Win95 Setup
will install Client for MS and Client for NetWare networks, and all
the needed components, at the same time. After everything works you
can remove unneeded stuff to make it faster.
Use unique computer names and a common workgroup name in the
Identification tab. To ease browsing difficulties, set aside one
computer to be turned on all the time (the one that has the printer is
a good candidate), and set "Browse Master: Enabled" on that machine's
File & Print Sharing properties. If one of them is a dial-up server
(See section 8.5.1), make the dial-up server the "browse master"
instead of the dial-up client.
* 7.2.2. ...other Windows for Workgroups computers?
Set up the Win95 machine as you would for networking Win95 machines
together. The WFWG machines use the same protocols, from the Transport
protocol up, as Win95 does. On the WFWG machine, tell it to install
Microsoft Windows Network support.
Set aside one Win95 machine to act as Browse Master, as Win95 machines
take browse master precedence over WFWG machines. This will ease
browsing troubles. Set that machine's FPS properties to "Browse
Master: Enabled".
NOTE: If you use IPX Protocol on the Win95 machine and you're
connecting to WFWG servers, turn on "I want to enable NetBIOS over
IPX", because the WFWG servers normally use NetBIOS over IPX.
Otherwise change the WFWG station's protocol to "IPX/SPX Transport",
instead of "IPX/SPX Transport with NetBIOS". Microsoft refers to this
as Direct Hosting over IPX, rather than through NetBIOS, which
explains the speed boost you'd get.
* 7.2.3. ...Windows NT servers and Windows NT domains?
Microsoft released Windows NT 3.51 purely to support Windows 95
clients. If you have Windows NT servers or workstations and Win95
workstations, upgrade to NT 3.51. Save yourself the hassles.
If you aren't using NT domains, you can connect to the NT workstations
and servers as you could any MS Windows Network client; install
Client/FPS for MS networks.
Client for MS Networks can also perform NT domain logins, similar to
how the NetWare client performs NetWare logins. You just specify that
you want to log in to a domain in the Client for MS properties. You
needn't specify the name of the domain controller; just the name of
the domain. Unlike the domain client in Windows for Workgroups,
however, you log in to the domain first, then into Windows.
Upon re-boot, Win95 gives you an MS Client login prompt. Feed it your
user name and password, and your NT login script will execute.
* 7.2.3.1. How do I get Win95 to honor NT %username% ? (and other NT
user variables)
Win95 isn't Windows NT, so it can't receive NT user profiles which
include the environment variables. However, there's a cool LanManager
utility that works on NT servers: PUTINENV. PUTINENV copies all
the LanManager user variables (including %USERNAME%) to a DOS client.
But it only copies them to the local DOS session's environment; you
will need to copy the variable to the global Windows environment with
WINSET, a utility that comes with the Win95 CD-ROM.
So, to copy the user variables over during a login, copy PUTINENV.EXE
and WINSET.EXE to the domain controller's NETLOGON share, then add
these lines to the login script:
\\server-name\NETLOGON\PUTINENV L
\\server-name\NETLOGON\WINSET USERNAME=%USERNAME%
(Repeat the WINSET line for any other user variables in the user's NT
profile.)
You could also map a drive and run the programs from that mapped
drive, or even from the client's local hard drive. Since Win95
supports commands using network paths, however, it's far easier to
just copy them to the server.
For interest's sake, PUTINENV also works with Windows for Workgroups
clients. Of course WINSET won't work, being a Win32 program, but you
could use the same script for WFWG and Win95 clients without harm. NT
clients will GPF on running WINSET too. Read the note on Rich
Graves' Site.
Windows Magazine also has many tips on writing NT login scripts,
and have a sample master login script for your viewing pleasure. It
includes a Win 3.1 equivalent of WINSET called SETW.EXE too.
* 7.2.3.2. Bugs to watch out for, and patches
Since Microsoft meshed Win95 and NT so closely together there are
hardly "any" bugs, but Rich Graves does mention a few at his
Win95NetBugs site.
Hah, I lied! I know two bugs, and they relate to Remote
Administration...
Admin share (\\machine\c$) remains active after you terminate the
Remote Admin session (I noticed this since Service Pack 1)
Domain Admins can edit parts of an NT server's Registry!
To prevent these bugs from creeping up, make sure you protect that
Domain Admins group with your lives.
There's the Password Caching bug of course, but you can disable
password caching.
* 7.2.3.3. How do I disable password caching?
The best way is to set up a system policy which does so. You can
disable caching of the login password, or caching altogether.
* 7.2.3.4. How do I log in to multiple domains?
Although you can't LOGIN to multiple domains, LOGIN and ATTACH are two
very different actions. You will need to establish a Trust
relationship between the two domains, a topic best covered in
Microsoft's NT Resource Kit. Once set up though, you can map drives to
shares on the other domains through the login script, or browse
through Network Neighborhood, as though they were part of your domain.
* 7.2.3.5. Top ten NT network mistakes
10. Using a LanManager server as a domain controller (hah hah hah)
9. Using an NT version earlier than 3.51 for Win95 clients
8. Not using system policies (Always a good idea to use system
policies for basic stuff)
(oops... not enough mistakes to fill the list! You got any?)
* 7.2.4. ...Banyan Vines (TM) servers? (Who uses this anyway?)
Banyan has a 32-bit client for Win95. By what I read on their
installation instructions, it's a proper Win95 client for a VINES
server. I don't have access to a VINES server, so if you have any
insight on this, please tell me.
sdawson@emporium.on.ca seemed to have very good success with the
Banyan Win95 client, but he hasn't told me about user profiles, system
policies, or any of the other cool toys. I can still use details on
these.
* 7.2.5. ...LANtastic (TM) servers? (Yes Virginia there IS a 32-bit
LANtastic!)
Artisoft has LANtastic 7.0 that pretty much works like Client for
MS networks! You can map and browse server drives, share drives with
the LANtastic service, capture and share printers, and have your
connections saved per user, via User Profiles. Because they use
the OS nicely, you could use the Client for NetWare, for example, and
LANtastic client at the same time, if for some unusual reason you
didn't want to use Client for MS for peer sharing. Now this is playing
nicely!
NOTE: Artisoft stopped offering their Client for LANtastic on their
web site. Visit Artisoft's site or your favorite vendor for LANtastic
for Windows 95.
* 7.2.6. ...AppleTalk (TM) AFP servers?
Miramar Systems has a Win 3.1 client and server for AFP, which
they managed to hack into Win95. Miramar told me via E-MAIL that they
will release a Win95 client and server in June 1996. With any luck it
can co-exist with other Win95 components.
COPStalk has a Designed for Win95 AFP client and server, but I haven't
checked it out yet. You can obtain a trial copy from
http://www.copstalk.com/ and see for yourself.
* 7.2.7. ...IBM OS/2 LAN Servers?
At first I thought MS would've abandoned OS/2 completely, but
according to KB article Q149206, Client for MS networks will work
with LAN Server domains. Specifically, they wrote that Client for MS
works with OS/2 LAN server versions 1.2, 1.3 (and CSD), 2.0, 3.0, and
4.0.
As such, you can treat the LAN Server domain like a Lan Manager or
Windows NT domain. Set up the Win95 client appropriately.
MS noted that file and print sharing are the only services that Client
for MS supports. Apparently, IBM's LAN Server management software
won't run on a Win95 station. Keep a Win 3.1 or DOS station handy for
this.
* 7.2.8. ...other network servers? (DOS client advice)
Microsoft TRIED to allow weird DOS clients, with Win 3.1 support, to
work in Win95 like they did in Win 3.1. Win 3.1 support for networks
shows up as a stand alone Client in Network Control Panel. For
example, if you install Novell NETX support, you don't need to add any
protocols or net card drivers. The big limitation is you can only
install ONE Win 3.1 network client.
The best advice I can give is to only use the network support the
vendor gives you. Don't try to use DOS clients alongside Client for MS
Networks, for example.
If you have to make more conventional memory available, you can use
real mode HIMEM.SYS and EMM386.EXE, and prepare a normal DOS
configuration that will start up before Win95 does. At this point it
would perform much like Win 3.1 did, but it should work.
* 7.2.9. ...The Internet?
Since Win95 comes with nearly all the components you need to connect
to The Internet, the easiest way is to grab Microsoft's Internet
Explorer and run it. The first time you run it, the Internet Setup
Wizard comes up and asks you a bunch of questions only your service
provider can answer. Get an answer sheet from your provider for these
settings:
* Dial-in phone number
* Login Name (Not E-MAIL name); may include descriptors like %PPP or
whatever
* Login Password (Whatever you chose when you signed up)
* IP address and Subnet mask if manually given, or use "My ISP
provides me one"
* DNS server addresses (in the form of XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX)
* Full E-MAIL address
* Mail server address (usually something like mail.nowhere.com)
* Mail server username (Usually the same as your login name)
* Mail server password (Usually the same as your login password)
* Items to have handy: News server address, outbound mail server
address, Gateway address (if not using default gateway)
These are the items the Internet Wizard will ask you for. The Wizard
will prepare IEXPLORE.EXE, the main Web browser, and Microsoft
Exchange for sending and receiving electronic mail. It will also
prepare a dial-up networking connection with all the right switches
turned on, or off, and install all the needed components from your
Win95 disks or CD-ROM. The only fine-tuning you'll need to do is to
add the news server address to Internet Explorer (or whatever news
reader you want to use), and maybe add an Outbound Mail Server name to
Exchange's Internet Mail properties, if the provider has a
different server to process outbound mail.
About 99% of us will connect to The Net using a modem and a dial-up
line, but for the rare few of us that have a direct network
connection, the Wizard will work with that too.
Oh yes, it will make you use Internet Explorer. No matter; just use it
to get your favorite Web browser, such as NCSA Mosaic for Win95, or
(ACK!) Netscape, and install that afterwards.
You can always re-run the setup wizard if the provider's settings
change, or if you change providers. You'll find it in your Accessories
group on the Start Menu. I cover the rest of the Internet stuff in
a separate page.

User Contributions:

Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: